lighthouse
Americannoun
plural
lighthouses-
a tower or other structure displaying or flashing a very bright light for the guidance of ships in avoiding dangerous areas, in following certain routes, etc.
-
either of two cylindrical metal towers placed forward on the forecastle of the main deck of a sailing ship, to house the port and starboard running lights.
noun
Etymology
Origin of lighthouse
Explanation
A lighthouse is a building with a warning light that helps boats to navigate safely, especially when it's dark or foggy. Maine is famous for its many lighthouses. Most lighthouses consist of a narrow tower, with a rotating or flashing light at the top, located near the coast. Before the invention of the lighthouse, fires were lit on hillsides to help captains guide their ships, and after permanent ports were built in coastal areas, permanent lighthouses were constructed. These warned sailors of obstacles at sea, rocky coastlines, and harbor entrances — and their designs grew more complex through the 18th century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This makes the system behave like a flashing cosmic lighthouse.
From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026
I walk a frozen Bothnian Gulf at Nallikari, an obscured lighthouse, a delinquent lifeguard stand, and makeshift saunas stand on white expanse like archaeology.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
The view from the Grade-II listed house across St Ives Bay to Godrevy lighthouse inspired Woolf to write To the Lighthouse, among other works.
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
He imagines—and 4- to 7-year-olds see him do it—plucking a length of sunshine off the wall and using what appear to be jellied cubes of colored light to make the beams of his own lighthouse.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
The orange-red wood of the box had a scene etched into the top: a sailboat sailing past a lighthouse while gulls flew overhead.
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
